30: Chapter 30 The Defense of Vulcan-IV (5)

The cycle has begun.

The Orks continued their charge toward the industrial city.

Icarus Battlefield Status Update:

[WAAAGH! Field Intensity: Level 8.5 (Rising)]

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Observation Effects:

- Ork wound healing speed +25% (defies physiology)

- Trukk speed +15% (defies physics)

- Certain bullet trajectories exhibit "curving" (defies ballistics)

- Logic confusion: 71% (increase in friendly fire incidents)

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Mathematical Model Corrections:

- Defense tower hit rate prediction adjusted down by 3%

- Ork breakthrough probability prediction adjusted up to 4.7% (original prediction <1%)

- Reconstruction demand fine-tuning: still higher than destruction speed

- Win rate prediction: 86.7% (slight decrease of 0.2%)

Remarks: Madness can warp reality, but it cannot warp mathematics. Mathematics is objective; madness is subjective.

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Warbeasts—

Those monsters, resembling mobile fortresses, finally entered the firing range of the defense line.

They moved slowly, covered in Ork Boyz—some were passengers, while others were strapped to the outside of the armor by the Orks.

The cannons on the Warbeasts' backs began to fire, shells trailing black smoke as they slammed toward the defense line.

Every shell kicked up a storm of dirt and rubble.

Their accuracy was poor, but their power was immense. Some even landed behind the Warbeasts themselves.

The lasers spoke once more.

Twelve Laser Towers simultaneously locked onto a single Warbeast.

Twelve red beams shot out at once, all striking the Warbeast's left front limb.

Though there was armor at the joints, under the continuous laser fire, it quickly grew red-hot, melted, and deformed.

Before long, the metal structure snapped completely.

The Warbeast lost its balance, its body tilted, and then it toppled over entirely.

The cannons on its back, due to the change in angle, pointed toward the sky and fired several shells haphazardly into the unknown.

The massive impact of its fall sent the surrounding Ork Boyz flying.

Then, the Gauss Machine Gun Towers began to finish the job.

Dense volleys of projectiles instantly covered the Warbeast's cockpit and back-mounted cannons.

Metal was torn away, armor was pierced, and the Ork Mekboyz inside the cockpit were instantly shredded to pieces.

The Warbeast was completely destroyed.

The remaining Warbeasts were destroyed in various ways: some were focused down directly by lasers, some had their armor broken by continuous machine gun tower fire, and others were taken out by heavy armor-piercing shells fired from Missile Towers.

But the outcome was the same.

The Gauss Machine Gun Towers continued their incessant roar.

The Laser Towers continued to coordinate precise kills.

The Missile Towers cleared the field intermittently.

The entire battlefield had become a rapidly spinning grindstone, constantly crushing the incoming Orks and then decomposing them into various raw materials to be sent to the rear, becoming nourishment to replenish the industrial city.

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On the left flank of the defense line, the cover provided by the Warbeasts and the oversaturated Ork charge caused a gap in fire distribution. A Gauss Machine Gun Tower was struck by an Ork Suicide Truck—an Ork Boy driving a Trukk filled with explosives—causing severe damage to the tower and an immediate interruption of its fire.

However, after only 3.2 seconds, twenty meters east of the original position, a new Gauss Machine Gun Tower "grew" out of the ground—a white phantom flashed, the new Gauss Machine Gun Tower reappeared, and the conveyor belt connected instantly!

The new machine gun tower then calibrated and opened fire; the entire process was as smooth as flowing water, with almost no interruption in firepower.

As for the wreckage of the destroyed old tower, it was quickly marked by recovery drones and sent back to the Battlefield Analysis Station, eventually becoming new "raw material" via the conveyor belt.

“Reconstruction speed...” Gluck immediately looked at the data pad. Icarus provided real-time data:

[Urbanization Parameters · Real-time Monitoring]

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Time: T+5 hours 31 minutes (29 minutes since battle start)

Ork destroyed defense towers: 8 (actual)

Icarus reconstructed defense towers: 14 (actual, including 6 new additions)

Net growth: +6 towers

Mathematical model verification: Valid (Reconstruction > Destruction)

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Detailed Records:

- #041 Gauss Tower: Destroyed by Warbeast, reconstructed after 7.3 seconds (#376)

- #087 Laser Tower: Direct artillery hit, reconstructed after 6.1 seconds (#377)

- #122 Missile Tower: Structural overload, reconstructed after 5.8 seconds (#378)

- ...

Remarks: For every one they tear down, we build one and a half. Time is on our side.

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Time is on our side.

Gluck recalled the records of the Battle of Calumus: on the first day, the Imperium lost 12% of its equipment, followed by 5-8% daily losses. Over fourteen months, the cumulative loss was 60%, resulting in a pyrrhic victory.

But here, the battle had only been going on for half an hour, and the number of defensive structures had not only not decreased, but had seen a net growth of 6 towers.

Because the speed at which the Orks destroyed was far outpaced by the speed at which Icarus reconstructed.

This was Icarus's "urbanization" tactic.

(Urbanization: A tactic derived from StarCraft, where if the opponent destroys one tower, we build two, eventually paving a path of towers all the way to the enemy base.)

This was a mode of warfare based on mathematics and production capacity.

Gluck let out a long breath, his white breath dispersing in the cold air.

He felt his long-tensed shoulders finally relax a little.

He began to feel—that they could win.

Truly, it was possible to "win."

He opened the communication channel and reported to Helmut: "Defense line is stable. Ork losses are heavy, and our defense tower count has seen net growth. Icarus's mathematical model is valid."

Helmut's reply was simple, just two words: "Copy that."

He saw it, through the eyes of every Skitarii.

Immediately following, Icarus broadcast the defense protocol through the battlefield channel using Adeptus Mechanicus binary code:

[Defense Protocol: Fully Activated]

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Ground Defense System:

1. Gauss Machine Gun Towers × 187 (Firing, efficiency 98.7%)

2. High-Frequency Laser Towers × 63 (Firing, efficiency 99.2%)

3. Missile Defense Towers × 63 (Firing, efficiency 97.4%)

4. Implosion Cannon Towers × 62 (Standby, use with caution)

5. Magnetized Plasma Turrets × 16 (Anti-air alert, no targets)

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Construction Forces:

- Construction Drones: 144 (Standby, updating towers at any time, 8 updated)

- Warp Construction System: Calibration complete (Current max reconstruction speed 40 towers/hour)

- Combat Analysis Stations: 12 (Running at full power, real-time calculation optimization)

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Urbanization Parameters Confirmed:

- Estimated Ork destruction: 22 towers/hour (Based on current intensity)

- Icarus reconstruction: 36 towers/hour (Based on current efficiency, including new additions)

- Mathematical victory condition: Valid (36 > 22)

Remarks: First large-scale raw material collection completed with qualified efficiency.

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Gluck closed the data pad and looked north once again.

The Ork charge continued, the green tide still surging.

The sounds of explosions, gunfire, and the Orks' "Waaagh" never ceased.

The defense line held; the Skitarii had even become mere observers.

Not only did it hold, it was becoming stronger and stronger.

He thought of Icarus's remark, which he once thought was just a comfort, but now seemed incredibly accurate:

“Let them come. The more, the better.”

Because the more that came, the more that died;

The more that died, the more raw materials there were;

The more raw materials there were, the stronger the defense line became.

A perfect, cold, and rational cycle was being constructed.

Gluck returned to the observation post, leaned his back against the wall, and took a short rest.

In the trenches, except for the few on duty, the other Skitarii also began to rest where they were.

The battle had only just begun; there was still a long way to go.

Legend said the Battle of Calumus against the green tide lasted fourteen months; here, it might also last a long time.

But as long as the mathematical model held, as long as this cycle could continue, as long as the growth rate of the defense towers exceeded the destruction rate of the Orks...

They had a chance to win.

He closed his eyes, listened to the sounds of slaughter outside for a moment, and then spoke softly, like reciting a new prayer:

“Let mathematics speak.”